JONI AND FRIENDS 30009 Lady Face Court, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 THE - PDF document

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER JONI AND FRIENDS 30009 Lady Face Court, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER How to Use: This script lays out suggested talking points and content pulled directly from the specific book/resource highlighted. Here are a few things to know before you begin to use these scripts: 1. Bold Type is what you say. Italic type are suggestions and instructions. 2. The script is laid out with wide margins for easier reading without too much side to side eye movement. Sentences and paragraphs are broken up by phrasing and suggested pauses. = indicates a thought, phrase, or slight pause. • indicates you need to click over to the next slide or animation. 3. In the Italics you will find suggestions for customizing the material with personal stories or examples. 4. Please retain the Irresistible Church logo and the Joni and Friends logo on each slide, with the exception of slides added for your church’s purposes. 5. The first few slides will be similar in each presentation. If you are doing more than one session in a day, we suggest you present these slides in the first session and eliminate them in later presentations on the same day. (You could also use them to encourage participation, or “test” the audience and ask them to define an Irresistible Church) 6. We have added suggested resources for each presentation. If you would like to purchase these, please visit joniandfriends.org. pg. 1

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER Doing Life Together Presentation Outline: Main objective: To help churches build community and relationships for families impacted by disability that go beyond programs, meeting practical, spiritual, and relational needs. Suggested supplies: Bible with all passages marked, copy of Doing Life Together book or PDF for each participant, supplement resource handouts: Accessibility Checklist, Coordinating Care, Offering Practical Care. (Available on irresistiblechurch.org/library) Suggested resources to accompany Doing Life Together training : Joni: An Unforgettable Story Beyond Suffering Bible Real Families, Real Needs Another Kind of Courage Same Lake, Different Boat A Place of Healing pg. 2

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER SLIDE 1 - The Irresistible Church Series Use this slide while people arrive. If you want to add music to this presentation go to Insert, Media, Audio/Audio on my PC. Select the song and a small music icon will appear in the corner of the slide. Music should automatically begin when you start the slide show. SLIDE 2 - Doing Life Together The music will stop when you switch to this slide. Share your heart for this training! What motivated you to lead this session, and what do you hope to accomplish? SLIDE 3 – What is an Irresistible Church = How can the church be “Irresistible” to families affected by disability? = By building genuine community. = Relationships require effort = and for families affected by disability it is often difficult to = pour out the energy necessary to = initiate and develop new relationships. pg. 3

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER = And yet, families affected by disability share the same need for deep, meaningful relationships. = If a family feels like they do not fit into the typical world, we need to step into their world. SLIDE 4 – Journey Together = Many families affected by disability have faced rejection and isolation from much of society… including the church. = Even if a family is new to your church, they likely have past experiences with a church community that will inform their expectations, fears, and attitudes. = Seeking community is a risk for these families. = The exhaustion brought on by rejection means that an open door is often not enough. = We must make the first move to include and welcome these families. = Even if only one member of the family has a disability, all members are impacted!— Because disability is a FAMILY AFFAIR. pg. 4

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER SLIDE 5 – It’s a Family Affair Inserting a story about a family in your local church can be a powerful way to explain the significance of building community for families affected by disability. You can change this picture to make this your own if you want to. Always get permission from the family before sharing their story. = When a family has a member with a disability, the entire family is impacted. = Nothing happens in a vacuum = and understanding how each family member is impacted will go a long way towards serving the entire family. = There are many things that could keep a family affected by disability from the gift of Doing Life Together. = SLIDE 6 – Main Objectives Don’t spend too much time on this slide. A sentence or two for each point is enough = Objectives of our time together: • Understanding the Needs • Combatting Isolation • Meeting Practical Needs • Building Community • Nurturing the Soul pg. 5

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER SLIDE 7 – Understanding the Needs 2/2 You may want to add a personal example of a family who has experienced rejection • Families often fear rejection. = Isolation and loneliness can become chronic and cyclical. = The more a family does not participate, the harder it becomes to reach out. = Barriers to participation could be negative attitudes from church members, inaccessible facilities, or exhaustion, which create isolation. = The more isolated the family becomes, the easier it is for the church to ignore their needs. = The more a church ignores their needs, the more a family will be isolated. = It’s our goal to help break this cycle, and love families affected by disability with the love of Christ. = Disability is a family affair. But different members of the family will have different needs. To help, we must understand the needs. • Parents and caregivers of someone with a disability pg. 6

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER = Parents, especially single parents, often face chronic exhaustion and isolation… = both physical and emotional = It becomes difficult to develop and maintain relationships outside the family. = For single parents, isolation and exhaustion is often compounded. = In extreme cases, they may lack any meaningful adult friendships. = In cases where one spouse is the primary caregiver, marital stress can develop because the caregiving spouse lacks physical and emotional energy for their partner. = Grief is another cycle parents experience. = Realizing that the life they had planned has been disrupted by disability causes grief. = This grief is often experienced again at various landmark phases of life … = such as when kids their child’s age begin driving, or dating, or going off to college, or entering the workforce. = This grief can itself be a source of distress, as parents feel guilt over their feelings of grief. • Caregivers of spouses with disabilities = In cases where a spouse is caring for the disabled partner, they can essentially take on three full-time jobs = Employment = Household chores = Caregiving • Typical siblings pg. 7

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER = Like their parents, siblings experience a wide range of emotions, often contradictory and conflicting. = Siblings of someone with a disability are often forced to grow up much faster than their peers, = and this may give the illusion of competency. = They may even be eager and forceful in their desire to be involved with their sibling at church. = But as mature as they may seem, they are still children, and likely lack the maturity to process their emotions. = They even go through their own cycle of grief. = The needs of their sibling are so overwhelming that their needs seem small in comparison. = Wanting their needs to be addressed, acknowledged, and met may cause them to feel guilty, then possibly bitter, then causing resentment toward themselves or their sibling. = This spiral of emotions is complex and unique to each individual. = So, special care should be extended to siblings. • Extended family = Disability may impact a family’s ability to interact with their extended family. = With little energy available to maintain even the most basic family unit, pg. 8

THE IRRESISTIBLE CHURCH / DOING LIFE TOGETHER relationships with extended family can easily fall by the wayside. = When nuclear families and marriages are cared for, families can more easily maintain relationships with extended family, and perhaps even find an additional support structure. SLIDE 8 – Combatting Isolation 1/2 = The challenge can be connecting isolated families with churches that are understanding and accepting. = It’s not always enough to say, “we’d love a family with disabilities if they came to our church.” = We need to be proactive in reaching out. This is a good place to talk about the Luke 14 Mandate. When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed .… Go out quickly into the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full ” Luke 14:13 -14, 23, NIV pg. 9